Full Circle chap 15 second part

He cursed Methos loudly and swore to kill him no matter what was inside his head. He could always take a chance and find out what he thought Methos knew on his own.

"Comfortable?"

The voice came at him from the dark to his right; he angled his head that way in order to see who it was even though he knew the voice. "I'll kill you for this!" he hissed furiously.

"Just how do you intend to do that--you'd be dead again before you could get to me." Methos approached his captive and casually sat down. "Did I ever tell you how much I hate the Huns?"

Darius yanked and strained at the leather thongs which bound him and growled in frustration at him. "Why?"

Lifting up one side of his mouth in a half-grin, Methos replied, "How does feel to be held against your will, Darius? Do you feel as strong as before? Or are you feeling helpless and weak?" He got back up and the twinkle of the distant campfires caught on something metallic.

Darius' eyes stared at the metal object as it was brought down around his bindings when Methos knelt beside him then caught his breath as it was brought into contact with his throat.

"You must be good at negotiations, Darius for you to have come this far. I'd say I will do you a favor if you will do me one. We could negotiate it out. Interested?"

"And if I don't want to negotiate?" Darius snarled despite being intrigued.

"Then I shall tell the Huns how to really kill you and all your dreams will have been wasted on nothing." Methos face and voice had turned quite deadly. He pushed the knife harder into Darius' throat and watched as a small tricke of blood run down the blade. "Are you willing now to negotiate?" He paused then as if in an afterthought, went on. "Oh yes, one should never bloody one's own hands--but you already know that rule now don't you?"

Darius gulped as he winced against the pain. "Very well! What do you want from me?"

"My freedom--and a choice to ride with you or not depending on my decision. I return I shall set you free tonight and we shall say no more of what has occurred on this day. But mark me, if you renege on the deal then I will take your head."

"What of Grayson?"

"He's not a part of this. If he comes for me---" Methos made a quick flowing motion of one decapitating another. "Understand?"

"Grayson must be left alive at all costs. He is my legacy to the world."

Methos shook his head. "Some legacy--a cold hearted son of a bitch who dreams of as much glory as he can muster under your wing."

"Grayson lives and you will not fight him." Darius strained at his bonds again. He frowned. "If he is that, then it will be I who will deal with it now and in the future."

"Promises, promises." Methos said then looked upwards towards the starry sky. "If I let Grayson alone, then you must make sure he understands my change in status--that I am on equal footing with him with you. He's very jealous of the fact that I have taken a place as an advisor."

"It will be done. Are you saying that you will ride with me if I let you free?"

Pursing his lips then saracastically smirking, Methos said, "Did I say I wouldn't? Are we agreed then?"

"Depends on if you agreed as to letting Grayson live no matter what has happened or might happen in the future."

"Grayson will live."

"Then I agree to all." Darius was furious at having to agree to allowing Methos his freedom--he didn't trust him but he felt as if he had a destiny to fulfill and in order to do that he must agree.

The knife slipped away from his throat and slit the bindings quietly and quickly. Darius sat up, rubbing his wrists then looked around before noticing two horses prepared for riding standing nearby. "Why you--"he began to say but Methos' hand flew to his mouth and clamped it shut. "Quiet!" Methos motioned him to mount up and soon they rode southwards towards Alaric's homebase.

Along the ride, Darius turned and said, "Why do you hate the Huns so badly?"

Methos smiled and replied, "Their food gives me indigestion." He rode a bit further before adding, "Besides, godhood gets tiring after awhile."

______________________________________

Grayson watched the breach in the Huns' line break open wider and wider and more and more of his men ran in for the attack. He kicked his horse in the ribs and began making his way back into the melee when a roar when up from the Huns making him jerk his head upwards.

The Huns had began to close the gap in the lines and now were decimating the Goth soldiers and calvery who had come inside their lines. Soon the gap no more and the line was once more whole and seamless. Not one Goth would survive the onslaught.

Grayson's eyes widened in horror and he began to scream at the top of his lungs, "Retreat! Retreat!" as he waved his soldiers to fall back.

Slowly and surely the Goths collected themselves back into a defensive unit and fell back leaving all the wounded, all the stragglers behind as they headed southwards with the Huns in close pursuit.

Eventually the Huns dropped the chase and in the next few days Grayson heard of the terrible losses he had suffered at the hands of the Huns. The calvery had suffered the least but his foot soldiers had experienced a loss of about a third of them. It turned him into a sullen, short tempered man, more so than normal and all avoided him which suited him just fine.

After about a week's hard march, Alaric's capital was in sight and Grayson rode in alone to tell of the Army's arrival. He wore a dark cloak, a heavy hood drawn up over his head which covered his face completely.

He tossed his reins to a guard and strode inside. His walk and mannerisms were akin to Darius' own as he went down the halls to report of the army's arrival to Alaric, hoping that Darius had already arrived. He smiled grimly each time he passed someone and they whispered, "Darius! He has come back! Darius!" If only he were here and if only he could be his father. What was Darius going to say when told of the losses?

He didn't want to think on it. He pushed his way past the guards to the Great Hall where he knew Alaric held his audiences and strode in and stopped.

All eyes and attention turned to him and many caught thier breath. "Darius!" The name rang out in chorus from many of the lips.

Alaric sat silent at the intrusion , Aelsgaarth at his side. "Why do you burst in on me like this?" he finally said at length.

Aelsgaarth could hardly contain her joy and she leapt up when the fugure didn't answer and leapt up in his arms, knocking the hood off his head in the process. She gasped as the entire courtand backed away as Grayson's glittering hawklike eyes surveyed them all.

"Greetings my lord." He paused, knowing that his father wasn't here as he had hoped after all if one was to judge from the reaction of his uncovering. "The Huns are upon us once more."